WASHINGTON—
A bronze coffin used to transport President Kennedy’s body from Dallas to Washington was dropped from a military plane into the ocean two years after he was killed, according to assassination documents.
“Apparently the casket is in 9,000 feet of water in the Atlantic Ocean,” Kermit L. Hall, a member of the defunct Assassination Records Review Board, said in a telephone interview Friday night.
Hall said that documents to be released Tuesday by the National Archives show that the coffin was flown several miles off the Maryland-Delaware coast in early 1965 and dumped in an area where the military discards unstable and outdated weapons and ammunition.
The revelation, on the eve of what would have been President Kennedy’s 82nd birthday, that the coffin was deep-sixed resolves a lingering mystery about its whereabouts. But it also fuels speculation among assassination researchers that it was discarded to hide foul play.
Last year a document released by the archives showed that a General Services Administration truck picked up the bronze coffin on March 19, 1964. The review panel asked the GSA where the coffin was. The agency said in the summer of 1998 that it didn’t know.
“Essentially what was going on was an effort to make sure the casket didn’t turn into a historic relic for the marketplace,” Hall said.
FAQs
Yes—in 1966, a C-130 dropped JFK's original bronze casket off the Delaware coast onto the sea floor 9,000 feet below. After JFK's assassination, Robert Kennedy became concerned that the casket might end up as a macabre collector's item so he asked to have it dropped and sunk at sea.
How heavy was JFK's casket? ›
The casket, a 400-pound, double-walled, hermetically sealed coffin made of solid bronze, was damaged when it was removed from Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base on November 22, 1963.
How much did JFK's casket cost? ›
The funeral home's owner, Vernon O'Neal, chose a bronze one with a white satin inlay by the Elgin Casket Company. It had a price tag of $3,995 – more than $36,000 today. After loading the coffin into a hearse, O'Neal drove to the hospital, where he was shocked by the condition of Kennedy's body.
How did they transport JFK's body? ›
JFK's body most likely was placed in a body bag inside an aluminum casket supplied by Walter Reed hospital on the way to Bethesda Naval Hospital.
Which president had an open casket? ›
John F. Kennedy Funeral - President Kennedy's casket as seen through the East Room doorway, November 23, 1963.
Why was JFK's casket exhumed? ›
The bronze casket had been damaged in transit; in 1966, at the request of the Kennedy family, it was disposed of by the Air Force in the Atlantic Ocean so that it would not "fall into the hands of sensation seekers."
Where is JFK's grave? ›
President Kennedy's Grave in Arlington National Cemetery | JFK Library.
Which president had the most expensive funeral? ›
John F.
The world was shocked when US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Many people remember it vividly today. JFK was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C. The burial plot alone cost $13 million, so there's no wonder his entire funeral cost a total of $15 million.
Who holds the record for the world's most expensive funeral? ›
Alexander the Great: estimated $600 million
Alexander the Great's 323 BC funeral is estimated to have cost the equivalent of a whopping $600 million.
Who else is buried by JFK? ›
Kennedy was buried in an adjacent plot after his death in August 2009. There is a memorial marker for JFK's eldest brother, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Former first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was laid to rest next to President Kennedy on May 23, 1994.
Kennedy's reply – "No, they sure can't" – were his last words. From Houston Street, the limousine made the planned left turn onto Elm, passing the Texas School Book Depository. As it continued down Elm Street, multiple shots were fired: about 80% of the witnesses recalled hearing three shots.
Is Jackie Kennedy buried next to John F. Kennedy? ›
She was buried beside her first husband, former President John F. Kennedy, widely referred to as JFK, whose assassination she witnessed in Dallas in 1963. Even before the tragedy, the First Lady was already in the global spotlight, revered for her style and intellectualism.
What was the wound on JFK's neck? ›
The gunshot wound in the back
The first bullet struck Kennedy in his upper back and exited below his neck. The opening in the President's neck was from a tracheotomy. However, the bullet exit wound was located there.
What president was buried with his horse? ›
The General was a horse owned by US President John Tyler. When he died, John Tyler had The General buried on his Sherwood Forest Plantation, in the Sherwood Forest Pet Cemetery.
Which president was not buried under the American flag? ›
President John Tyler, the tenth president of the United States, was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in 1862. His death was the only one in presidential history to not be officially recognized in Washington D.C. due to his allegiance to the Confederate States of America.
What president is buried in a church? ›
One hundred years ago today, on Feb. 6, 1924, President Woodrow Wilson was buried at the Cathedral – the first and so far only U.S. president to be buried in Washington, D.C. There's a lot to say about Wilson, the nation's 28th president (1913-1921).
How much did the casket weigh? ›
Generally speaking, a wooden casket weighs from 150 to 250 pounds, with some woods being heavier than others. Pine (it weighs around 150 pounds) is considered light, whereas mahogany (as heavy as 250 pounds) stands as the heaviest, along with cherry wood.
How much did John Kennedy weigh? ›
The thing was, he wasn't overweight. Standing at six feet one inch tall, JFK weighed about 172 pounds, according to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. By the National Institute of Health's body mass index standards, his weight was perfectly normal for someone of his height.
How long did Jackie Kennedy wear the pink suit? ›
Jackie remained in the suit from 12:30 p.m. CT, when JFK was shot, until the next morning, including during the swearing-in of President Johnson.
Did JFK wear a girdle? ›
It was his habit of wearing a tightly laced back brace that may have kept him from recoiling to the floor of his car after the assassin's first bullet to the neck, setting him up for the kill shot. “The brace was a firmly bound corset, around his hips and lower back and higher up,” said Dr.
